


Fairytales

by harryhermionerw



Series: Imagine Tony & Bucky [8]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, First Words, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Team as Family, Tony Has Issues, imagine prompt fills
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-03
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-29 00:41:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12619224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harryhermionerw/pseuds/harryhermionerw
Summary: Soulmates are, for Tony Stark, a fairytale. Until he meets Bucky.But Bucky shouldn't be saddled withTony Starkfor a soulmate.Good thing everyone else is determined to show him how wrong he is.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Imagine a soulmate AU where Tony's always secretly wanted a soul-mate but never thought he deserved one, but then he meets Bucky, and Bucky just dotes on him and calls him a lot of Russian pet names and compliments him a lot. Also it would be great if Bucky was really impressed by the Iron Man armor, and if Tony makes Bucky a new arm.
> 
> Tony is, depending on your point of view, kind of an ass, but he has lots of issues to work through. (Cool motive, still an asshole?)

“This is Tony,” Steve was saying, chivvying his ex-brainwashed occasionally frozen best friend from the forties towards him. “He’s our resident genius, and owns the tower.”

“Tony,” Bucky said quietly. “It's nice to meet you.”

Tony’s arm itched, but he ignored it. He had probably splashed some caustic substance on it. He could clean it after this little meet and greet. He did, despite all evidence to the contrary, have some manners. 

Besides, it was hardly the first time he had unidentified, dangerous substances on his person.

“Welcome to the castle!” Tony exclaimed, spreading his arms in welcome. 

He watched Bucky stiffen, and clasp his right forearm. 

His _right_ _forearm._

No, it couldn't possibly be. He covered his right forearm, realized what that itch had been.

When Bucky opened his mouth, Tony hurried on. “I'm sure you have plenty more people to meet, things to do. I've got a- thing-” he fumbled for words, gesturing half-heartedly over his shoulder at the elevator. “Very important thing. Gotta run.”

As the elevator door shut, he could see Bucky’s sheet-white face, and hear Steve telling Bucky that “Tony isn't normally that scatter-brained but he probably hasn't slept in a while.”

He slumped against the wall of the elevator, trying to calm his racing heart. He pushed up his sleeve, and undid the cuff that covered his words. Sure enough, they were edged in silver. Bucky was his soulmate.

The scientist in him was fascinated - Bucky should have lived and been nearly dead before he was even born, and yet, he was his soulmate.

But mostly he was just horrified. No one deserved to have Tony Stark inflicted on them.

When he was younger, and had first gotten his words, he had been so excited. All kids were. Jarvis - the real Jarvis - had told him wonderful stories about meeting his soulmate, Ana. And Aunt Peggy told him stories about her soulmate, Angie. He had been  _ fascinated. _ It all seemed like a fairytale.

But Howard had happened. He had gotten older, and older, and remained alone. He had heard his words hundreds of times, and none of them were his soulmate. And after Afghanistan? Well.

No one should be stuck with him. 

It didn’t seem like a fairytale anymore, more like a horror story where he was the monster.

Even though that little kid still dreamed about finding his soulmate, one day.

\--

He took the coward's way out, and hid in his workshop. Enlisting JARVIS, he snuck upstairs to eat and caffeinate when Bucky was asleep or out of the tower. He slept on the couch in the corner of the workshop.

He was lucky to get thirty-six hours before Natasha was knocking at the door.

“Yeah?” He said absently, not even paying attention to the fact that someone was at the door. 

“What are you doing?”

Startled, he looked accusingly at one of JARVIS’ cameras. 

“You stated that Mr. Barnes was not allowed in, not that Ms. Romanov wasn’t allowed to knock,” JARVIS said smugly. 

“I'm uploading you to the nearest McDonald’s!” Tony shook his finger at JARVIS. 

“My servers are shaking in their housings, Sir,” JARVIS replied drily.

Rolling his eyes, Tony turned to Natasha. “I'm fixing a fuck-up that R&D wanted to slide by me,” he said, trying to avoid the very obvious.

Natasha simply raised one eyebrow, not saying anything. 

“Well I am!” He defended, lifting the guts of a phone up as if to prove it.

Crossing the room, she sat next to him and laid her hand on top of his. “He thinks you don't want him because he was the Winter Soldier. That he’s too broken and was a weapon for too long to ever be wanted by anyone.”

Tony felt guilt settle into his stomach, an uncomfortable weight. “It's not him.”

“It's you?” She completed the saying, a wry smile on her face.

He looked away from her. “I don't care about any of that. You were the one who said that you're trying to wipe out the red in your ledger. Well, I've got oceans of red.”

“Tony.”

He pulled away from her, agitated. “Soulmates aren't for people like me, Nat.”

“Soulmates are for everyone,” she said softly. 

Tony smiled bitterly. “That's a fairytale.”

\--

He assumed that Natasha reported back to Bucky, but he never appeared in the workshop. Pushing the conversation and the guilt out of his mind, he focused on various projects.

Tony was honestly surprised when Bruce showed up next to plead the case.

“Did you know that the Other Guy and I have two different soulmates?” Bruce asked idly, as he wrote out a complicated formula on the whiteboard Tony kept in there just for him.

Tony shifted part of his attention to that conversation while continuing to work on the problem.

“No.”

“The Other Guy, he hasn't met his soulmate. He's too busy smashing things, thankfully. Me, though?” Bruce paused to do a particularly complicated calculation. “I met her a long time ago.”

Focusing more of his attention on the conversation, Tony felt like this was not going to be a happy story. “Who is it?”

“Betty Ross.” Bruce’s tone was wistful, sad, and a little bit angry. At himself, Tony guessed. 

“Ross? That Ross?”

Bruce nodded, not elaborating. Then: “Tony-”

Tony cut him off. “The Other Guy is not a monster, but I-”

“Tony!” Bruce rarely raised his voice, and never snapped at anyone. To have him do both was startling.

Raising his hands in concession, he waited for Bruce to continue.

Bruce looked deeply sad. “Just because we think ourselves monsters doesn't mean we don't deserve love.”

“Then where’s your Betty Ross?”

If anything, Bruce looked sadder. “That was a lesson I learned after.”

After what, Bruce didn't say, but he also didn't push anymore, which Tony appreciated. After they finished their calculations and Bruce went up for dinner, Tony sat. Bruce’s words echoed in his head. He knew the Other Guy wasn't a monster.

_ Just because we think ourselves monsters doesn't mean we don't deserve love. _

\--

He didn't expect Clint, either.

Well, he had, since he had told the archer to come down to collect some arrow prototypes, but what he didn't expect what for Clint to set two shot glasses on the table between them. 

“I don't drink anymore,” Tony said warily, eyeing the shot glasses like they would jump at him and bite.

Clint rolled his eyes, and set a jug of juice out. “I know.”

Tony frowned. “We can drink juice out of glasses?”

“Drinking out of shot glasses is one, cooler, two, funner, and three,” he poured two shots of apple juice. “Makes your mind think you're drinking, loosens you up a little.”

Skeptical, Tony picked up one of the shot glasses. “Uh-huh.”

Clint shrugged. “I mostly thought it would look cool.”

Tony rolled his eyes and downed his shot. Oddly, it did make him feel like he was taking a shot of alcohol, and his body relaxed a little. Placebo effect, hard at work.

“Are you here to lecture me too?” He asked, setting the glass back down.

“Nope,” Clint said cheerfully, refilling both shots. “I just really like apple juice.”

“Katniss, you can drink apple juice upstairs.”

“Out of a shot glass?”

“Like that's the weirdest thing you've done,” Tony shot back. 

“Point.” Clint lazily saluted Tony with the shot and drank again. “I'm not here to lecture, but I am here to listen.”

Tony groaned. “First Nat, then Bruce, now you?”

Clint raised his hands. “Look. I've got a happy little family with kids and a dog and it was pretty much all just like the movies and I don't personally know shit about this soulmate angst you've got going on, but I've been told I make a good listener, okay? So if you wanna talk, I'm here. If you just wanna shoot apple juice, that's fine too.”

Giving Clint a flinty glare, Tony drank down another shot of apple juice. And another. 

Then he broke. “I'm just-- old. And I have a piece of metal shoved into my chest that means I can't take a full breath half the time. I'm baseline human, I've slept with a ton of people, to the point where the nicest thing people call me is a slut, and I've killed a ton of people. Millions.”

Clint waited patiently for the flood of words to end. It sounded like he was trying very hard to keep his tone even. “You’re older than us, yes, but you’re not old, Tony. I don't know anything about having metal in my body, but I know someone who does. You saved millions of people, and do so routinely. And Tony?” Now he grinned. “Haven't you heard? Calling people sluts is reinforcing the patriarchy and its puritanical double-standards.”

Tony rolled his eyes, but felt a little lighter. Clint had no reason to lie to him. Hearing that said so bluntly filled a hole that had been left by years of issues. “Only you, Robin Hood.”

“Hey, I am hip with the times!”

“Just drink your juice.”

\--

He really should have been expecting Steve. It was logical. Everyone else had tried, and Steve  _ was  _ Bucky’s best friend.

But he was honestly surprised when JARVIS said that Steve was at the door.

He hesitated. This could go either kind of badly, or very badly. He was leaning towards the latter. He shoved away from table he was working at, deciding to be mature and to face the music. “Let him in, J.”

The door opened.

“Tony, are you okay?”

Surprised, Tony looked at Steve. “Yes.” He lied slowly, not sure where this conversation was going.

Steve gave him a half smile. “You're lying, Shellhead. You've got a tell.”

Insulted, Tony puffed up. “I do not!”

Steve just winked. “Sure you do. Now let's try this again. Are you okay?”

Tony just looked at Steve. He had expected yelling. Orders to come out and see Bucky. Not whatever this was.

“Maybe.”

Steve seemed to accept this. “For someone who’s been living in their workshop for five days straight, you don't look like death warmed over,” he finally said.

“I do know how to shower,” Tony said drily. “I learned how to do that when I was three.”

Steve didn't say anything for a long while. The silence was making Tony fidgety. Finally, right before Tony word-vomited, Steve spoke again.

“Are you going to come out of here eventually?”

No pressure. No questions about him and Bucky. No anything but that simple question.

“Yes.”

“Soon?”

“Soon,” Tony agreed. 

“Okay.” Steve started to leave but Tony couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“He knows it’s not about him, right?”

Steve looked steadily back at him. “People have told him that, but it’s hard for him to believe. You probably know how that is.”

Tony winced. He did know how that was. “Soon,” he promised again. “I’m sorry for being an ass,” he added. “I’m trying to... not.”

Steve nodded, and left.

\--

He had expected Rhodey. He had expected Pepper. He expected JARVIS, in that roundabout sneaky way of his. He weathered their conversations, their hugs, Rhodey getting drunk and telling him how much he loved him, no homo. (His honeybear was tragically straight.) He kissed Pepper on the cheek and listened to her tell him that he was worth it. That their break up wasn't his fault. He didn't mute JARVIS, and occasionally ate when prodded. He believed with them, or rather, he was working on believing them, and told them that. He cuddled up with his platypus, and watched mindless action movies when the conversation got too emotional for sober Rhodey. 

What he sincerely didn't expect was Bucky.


	2. Chapter 2

He was really not expecting this. And he wasn't ready for this conversation, not really. The panic he was feeling must be showing on his face because Bucky slouched, making himself look smaller. He looked like he hadn’t been sleeping well, which made Tony’s stomach clench with guilt. He had done that to him.

They stared at each other, before JARVIS broke the silence. “Would you like me to save the simulation results, Sir?”

Tony jumped. “Yes, yeah, save and shut it down, J.” He took a deep breath. He was an adult. He could do this. “Wanna sit?” He waved a hand at the workshop. There was the couch that he had transformed into his bed, and a few stools scattered around.

Bucky nodded, and chose the couch. “Sit with me?”

Tony sat. He was an adult. He could do this. He opened his mouth, but Bucky beat him to it. 

“I’m sorry.”

Frowning, Tony turned to face Bucky. “For what?” Buck didn’t have anything to be sorry about. He was the one who ran and hid for a week, ignoring his soulmate. He was the one who was a complete asshole, not Bucky.

“For-” Bucky paused. “Whatever you need me to be?”

Tony huffed out a laugh. “What a pair,” he muttered, shoving a hand through his hair. He let out a long sigh. “ _ I’m  _ sorry. I was an ass. I should have said something. Or not hidden away. For so long. Or said something. Sooner. Did I say that?” He mentally cringed at that terrible apology. “It really had nothing to do with you, but I took it out on you.” There, that sounded like an apology from someone who had their shit together.

Bucky nodded slowly. “I thought it was. Me, I mean. I understood.”

Tony reached over and took his hands. The contrast between the metal and the flesh hands was startling, but this wasn't the time to geek out. “No.” He said it firmly. leaving no room for disagreement or questioning. “This was 100% my hang ups.”

“That's what Natasha said. And Steve. And Clint, and Bruce, and Pepper, and Rhodey.”

Tony colored. “They  _ all  _ talked to you?”

“I was pretty bummed,” Bucky said frankly.

Well, ouch. He probably deserved that. He definitely deserved that. “I’m sorry,” he said again. It was all he could say. “Tell me how to make this up to you.”

Bucky smirked, and there was an echo of the old Bucky Barnes from the war reels in it. “I can think of somethin’.” Then he sobered, looking more like the man Steve had brought in two weeks ago. “Give this a try?”

Tony could try. He was the king of trying. Plus, that smirk. It would take a saint to resist that.

He definitely wasn't.

“Yeah. I can do that.”

\--

It wasn't easy. They had moments of awkwardness, and they had to sometimes pick their way around each other’s triggers, of which there were plenty between the two of them. They had arguments, and they spent time apart cooling off. But they both tried. 

Sometimes Tony overcompensated for being an asshole for that first week, but Bucky would gently remind him that he accepted him exactly as he was, hang-ups and all, and Tony would quickly settle back into relative normalcy. 

“Hey snowflake,” Tony said cheerfully. They had had a talk the night before, which was a nice euphemism for crying while talking about their emotions and needs. But like always, today was a fresh day. They had promised, early on, not to go to bed angry at each other, and it helped a lot. Their fights were further apart, and they were closer than ever. “What's up?”

“Can I just come see my  _ cахарок _ [1] for no reason?” Bucky asked, wrapping his arms around Tony’s waist from behind. Tony was sitting in a stool, working on another project for SI.

“Sure you could. You haven't yet.”

Bucky kissed the side of his neck gently, and Tony melted into his arms. “So, what brings you down to my lair?”

“I brought you coffee,” he said, nodding towards the mug that was set on the work table. “And some cookies.”

Tony lit up. “Coffee? For me?”

Bucky nuzzled his nose behind Tony’s ear. “For you, baby.”

Tony half turned in his seat and kissed Bucky. “You’re my hero.”

“I know.”

“Want to stay and help with the gauntlets?” Ever since Bucky had seen Tony working on the Iron Man suit, he had been obsessed, asking question after question, and would be content to sit and watch Tony work on even the most mundane of details if it had anything to do with the suit. Eventually, Tony had started offering to let him help, and Bucky had nearly vibrated off the seat, he was so excited. When Tony asked, Bucky had shrugged, and evaded his eyes about why he loved the Iron Man suit so much. 

It wasn't that important, and it was honestly pretty flattering, so Tony let it go, since Bucky seemed so embarrassed. 

“Absolutely!” He seemed as enthusiastic as ever.

\--

They started going out on dates, a month after they broke the news that James Buchanan Barnes was still alive, courtesy of a knock-off serum. They spun the story a little bit. Since the Winter Soldier was a ghost story for even top intelligence agencies, they didn't release that Bucky had been the Winter Soldier. All that was stated was that he was alive due to a bastardized super-soldier serum and some non-reproducible freezing methods. The very idea that a second super-soldier from World War II was still alive and young was more than enough to feed the media frenzy.

It was assumed that the real story would leak eventually, but until it did, this allowed the public to see the new Bucky before they saw him as a weapon.

Probably. The public was fickle.

Plus he was soulmates to Tony Stark, who was sometimes America’s darling and sometimes the devil incarnate. He could never keep up. He still felt a pang of sadness in situations like this that Bucky was saddled with him as a soulmate, but Bucky had said over and over that he was more than delighted to have him as his soulmate. He had no choice but to believe him.

“Here, try this,” Tony said, offering his fork to Bucky. It was salmon with a citrus sauce. Ever since they had started going out, Tony had delighted in introducing Bucky to new foods. Before the war, Bucky and Steve had been poor. During the war, the army was more interested in easy and moveable than interesting, and Hydra? All Hydra cared about was that their Asset was functional.

So now he got to show Bucky new things every time they ate out. Sushi. Fish. Duck. Escargot had been a memorable experience. They had even both tried snake, at a restaurant in LA. Tony because he would try anything at least once, and Bucky because Tony had dared him.

“It ain’t snail, is it?”

Tony shook his head. “Just salmon. You'll like it.”

Obligingly, Bucky opened his mouth and let Tony feed him the bite of salmon. Swallowing, he nodded. “S’good.”

Tony felt a flush of warmth, having picked something  _ his soulmate  _ liked. It was ridiculous, but he liked pleasing Bucky.

“How's your steak?” No matter where they were, if steak was on the menu, then Bucky got it. He had a ranking of every steak he had eaten so far, with several categories. Tony wasn't sure how he assigned points or kept track, but between Bucky and JARVIS, there were nearly twenty different steaks on the list now.

“Great!” Bucky said enthusiastically. “Better than last week’s steak. Want some,  _ Лучик _ ?”[2] He offered Tony a bite.

Tony accepted, just like he did every time. “You're right, this is better.”

Bucky gave him a quick kiss before stealing a bite from Tony’s plate. 

“Hey!”

Laughing, Bucky offered Tony another piece of steak.

\--

Tony still spent a lot of hours in the workshop. He did, after all, work full time as the head of R&D for SI, full time as a consultant for SHIELD, and full time as essentially the quartermaster who also designed the weapons for the Avengers. Bucky never complained, since Tony put in an effort to watch the time, and if he forgot, to leave when Bucky came to collect him.

“My  _ Дракончик _ [3], you've been down here for hours,” Bucky said, startling Tony.

Tony steadied the soldering iron before he dropped it. “It's only been what, ten, twelve hours? I've gone longer, haven't I J?”

“Sir, it's been nearly twenty. And while you indeed have worked longer without sleep, that doesn't mean you should.” JARVIS’s tone was disapproving.

Frowning, Tony pulled up a clock. “It really has been twenty hours. He tried to stand, but his back protested and he sank back down. “Ouch.”

“What’s wrong?” Bucky’s voice was worried. 

“Just knotted up my back pretty badly,” Tony admitted. “Have to move slower.”

Bucky settled his hands on Tony’s shoulders. “How about a hot shower, and then I give you a massage?”

Tony could already feel the knots disappearing. “What did I do to deserve you?”

Bucky brushed a kiss over the top of Tony’s head. “You did nothing but be you.” He helped Tony stand, and walked with him to the elevator.

“Flattery will get you everywhere, cupcake,” Tony told him.

“You're in no shape for what I want,  _ Зайчонок _ [4] _ ,” _ Bucky said, his voice deep and gravelly. “At least, not yet.”

Tony felt that tone go all the way through him down to his toes, but he gave Bucky a baleful look. “Did you just call me a bunny?”

Bucky had the grace to look embarrassed, but didn't take it back. “You are pretty cute,  _ Зайчонок, _ ” he said, flicking Tony’s nose.

Tony rolled his eyes as the elevator door opened but didn't press it. The nicknames, as silly as they were sometimes, made his heart go a little bit gooey. “I believe you promised me a hot shower and a massage?”

“To begin with.”

\--

Tony had been tossing the idea around for a while now in his head, and had even worked out a few schematics, but he wanted to ask Bucky before he went any further. The arm, while a serious piece of engineering marvel, was old. It needed near constant updates and maintenance, and while Bucky never said anything, he could tell it was causing him some stress. And the maintenance sometimes caused pain, which made Tony feel like the worst person in the world.

“J, can you get Bucky down here?”

“Of course, Sir.”

In under three minutes, Bucky appeared. “What’s up,  _ котенок[5] _ ?” Kitten was his favorite endearment for him, and it was growing on him. Other still made regular appearances, but  _ котенок  _ came out once or twice a day.

“So,” Tony started, suddenly hesitant. The arm was a painful subject for Bucky. Literally painful, given the way it was grafted on to him. Clumsily, he searched for words. He finally just blurted it out. “I want to build you a new arm.”

Bucky’s eyes widened. “You what?”

“Only if you want me to!” Tony said in a rush. “It's just- I know maintenance is sometimes painful and it's tedious and I know that it's heavy and it's a lot of work and I could help with all of that, but only if you want!” He repeated.

Bucky was looking at him with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open.

“Please say something.”

“You’d do that?”

A little hurt, Tony frowned. “Of course I would.”

As if realizing, Bucky hastened to explain. “It just seems like a lot of work, when you could be doing more important things.”

Softening, Tony crossed the room to him. “James Buchanan Barnes. There is  _ nothing  _ more important to me than you.”

Bucky clutched Tony’s hands. “I love you,” he said, suddenly. 

Tony blinked.

“I know that emotional things give you hives, but-”

Tony raised one of their clasped hands up with his pointer finger held upright in a ‘hold on a second’ gesture. He processed the words. Bucky  _ loved  _ him. His  _ soulmate _ loved him.  _ Him _ .

Maybe fairytales did come true, sometimes.

“I love you, too,” he said hoarsely. “I really do.”

Bucky reeled him in close, and kissed him long and hard. Tony let go of Bucky’s hands to wind his hands around his neck and into Bucky’s hair. 

Breaking apart for breath, Bucky peppered Tony’s face with little kisses. “I just couldn't hold it in any longer. I love you so much, Tony.”

Tony pulled him in closer, and just held him in a hug. “I'm so lucky to have you,” he replied. “And I love you too, Bucky.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] cахарок - sugar  
> [2] Лучик - sunbeam/ray of light   
> [3] Дракончик - little dragon   
> [4] Зайчонок - bunny  
> [5] котенок - kitten


End file.
